After winning three straight Olympic beach volleyball gold medals teaming with Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh Jennings is ready to go out on her own in 2013, and will look to make it four-in-a-row in Rio with her new teammate April Ross by her side.

“She’s a stud,” Jennings told USA Today about Ross, who will end her partnership with Olympics teammate Jennifer Kessy. “I respect her so much. She’s been my main competitor for so many years. She’s driven me more than any other person so it’s going to be so fun to partner up with her.

“It’s kind of a lot like Misty. I had so much respect but she was on the other side of the net. Then we got together and magic happened. I’m hoping and planning that happens with April.”

Kerri’s been busy getting back into competitive shape after giving birth to her third child this spring, who she was apparently pregnant with during the 2012 Olympics. Now she’s planning to make her U.S. season debut in late July at the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball in California, hopefully with Ross.

And while Walsh Jennings, 34, admitted she “shed a tear” when heading back to the beach without May-Treanor, she seems excited by the prospect of working toward the Olympics with someone new.

“[Misty and I] had something so special that’s never going to change. But this new partnership is such an exciting thing because I’m going to grow because of it. I’m going to be better because of it.”